H4HC | Current Issues

The #H4HC Movement

Each year, state and federal governments propose new policies and legislation that affect the home health care industry along with in-home caregivers and clients they care for. H4HC is dedicated to developing positive and innovative reforms to help improve the access, quality, and effectiveness of home health care for our nation’s most vulnerable populations.

Below are the 2023 federal priorities.

Current Federal Issues

Home Health

The proposed cuts implemented by CMS threaten access to home healthcare services, especially in rural and hard-to-reach communities. Tell CMS to Stop Additional Cuts to Home Health in 2024.

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Medicaid

The proposed rule by CMS lacks acknowledgment of provider overhead costs, puts providers who serve in rural and underserved areas in jeopardy, and stresses the home and community-based services system.

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Hospice

We are advocating for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to define and include community-based palliative care reimbursement as concurrent care with hospice services.

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Current State Issues

Select a state to learn how the H4HC movement is taking action.

Delaware

UPDATE: Hearts for Home Care thanks the governor, state legislature, and particularly members of the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) for including an $8 million investment in MLTSS personal care services.

Ensure Delaware’s Medically Fragile Receive the Urgent Home Care They Need

Support Delaware’s medically fragile children and adults. Increase private duty nursing Medicaid rates 5%1—RNs to $66.95/hr and LPNs to $59.98/hr. Increase home care personal care worker Medicaid rates 23%2-$27.85/hr to $34.31/hr.

Florida

UPDATE: Thank the FL Legislature for Supporting Home Care!

Read the Petition!

Low Nursing Rates Risk Patient Safety and Health

Florida home care private duty nursing (PDN) providers have not had a Medicaid rate increase in 28 years. This, coupled with the on-going workforce crisis, has created an environment where providers cannot compete to attract and retain highly qualified nurses, resulting in access to care issues for medically fragile adults, children, and their families throughout the state.

Georgia

Low Nursing Rates Risk Children’s Safety and Health

Georgia families rely on home care to receive the high-quality nursing care they need to keep their children at home and out of costlier institutional settings. Unfortunately, long-term underinvestment in the nursing Medicaid reimbursement rates are preventing providers from recruiting and retaining nurses, resulting in access-to-care issues and putting medically fragile children’s health at risk.

Massachusetts

Home Health Care is More Than a Solo Piece–It Takes an Orchestra

The journey of home care clients goes far beyond relying on the expertise of just one role. To ensure clients can remain safely at home with comfort, independence and dignity, many clinical and non-clinical experts must work together in unison to create an exceptional client experience delivering the highest quality outcomes.

H.649/S.380 – An Act to Improve Massachusetts Home Care

Currently, Massachusetts does not license non-medical home care services. These services are essential to the Commonwealth’s long-term services and supports system and allow individuals to remain safely in their residence.

H.1195/S.755 – An Act Clarifying Rate Setting Processes for Home Health and Home Care Services

This legislation would clarify the rate setting processes that are already in place for both home health and home care services.

New Jersey

UPDATE: The New Jersey legislature has once again invested in home care! The State increased the Personal Care Assistant (PCA) by 64 cents per hour, and the Private Duty Nursing (PDN) by $1 ($1 increase per hour for RN-level care and $1 increase per hour for LPN-level care).

Home Health Care is More Than a Solo Piece–It Takes an Orchestra

The journey of home care clients goes far beyond relying on the expertise of just one role. To ensure clients can remain safely at home with comfort, independence and dignity, many clinical and non-clinical experts must work together in unison to create an exceptional client experience delivering the highest quality outcomes.

New York

Home Health Care is More Than a Solo Piece–It Takes an Orchestra

The journey of home care clients goes far beyond relying on the expertise of just one role. To ensure clients can remain safely at home with comfort, independence and dignity, many clinical and non-clinical experts must work together in unison to create an exceptional client experience delivering the highest quality outcomes.

Right-Size Vital Healthcare Investments in Final SFY 2023-24 State Budget

Excluding home health care & hospice from infrastructure funds will handicap hospitals & nursing homes.

North Carolina

Urge Lawmakers to Fully Fund Home Care Issues in the Final Budget!

Many seniors and people living with disabilities are in danger of losing access to care due to lack of staff. With record inflation and a rapidly constricting workforce pipeline, aides are being driven out of the industry in record numbers for better paying jobs. Due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates, home care agencies can’t compete with other health care providers for qualified nurses.

Learn more about Personal Care Services (PCS)

Learn more about Private Duty Nursing (PDN)

Pennsylvania

Help Us Help More Pennsylvanians. Increase Home Care rates by 10%.

Rhode Island

Home Health Care is More Than a Solo Piece–It Takes an Orchestra

The journey of home care clients goes far beyond relying on the expertise of just one role. To ensure clients can remain safely at home with comfort, independence and dignity, many clinical and non-clinical experts must work together in unison to create an exceptional client experience delivering the highest quality outcomes.

South Carolina

UPDATE: The South Carolina legislature recently increased funding for home health aide and skilled nursing programs! The legislature, which had temporarily increased funding for these programs during the height of the COVID pandemic—voted to make these temporary increases permanent and increase funding.

Low In-Home Medicaid Nursing and Personal Care Rates Risk Patient Health and Result in Higher Costs to the State

South Carolina In-Home Care Providers cannot compete to attract and retain qualified nurses and personal care aides, resulting in higher healthcare costs and access to care barriers for over 40,000 vulnerable seniors and medically fragile children and adults. Investing $30.5M for home and community based services as requested by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)1 will allow in-home care providers to compete for qualified healthcare professionals.